Final Draft vs Slugline

Final Draft

• Screenwriters who need scripts in industry-standard format
• Productions that rely on tracked revisions and production reports
• Writers who would rather buy a desktop license once than subscribe

Slugline

• Screenwriters on Mac, iPhone and iPad who like writing in plain text
• Short-film writers: scripts of up to six pages are free on Mac
• Writers who want to pay once instead of subscribing

Final Draft

• The one-time Final Draft 13 license does not include Final Draft Cloud, which comes only with the Suite subscription.
• Final Draft 13 needs macOS 12 or later or Windows 11 or later, and is not available on Chromebook.
• The iPhone and iPad app, Final Draft Go, is a separate subscription at $3.99 a month or $19.99 a year.
• A license can be signed in on two computers at once; a third sign-in requires signing out of another.

Slugline

• Apple platforms only: there is no Windows, Linux, Android or web version.
• On Mac, writing past page six and exporting Final Draft files require the $49.99 Unlimited Writing upgrade.
• The iPhone and iPad app is sold separately for $19.99.
• Slugline 2 requires macOS 10.14 or later, and the iOS app requires iOS or iPadOS 14 or later.

Final Draft

Automatic script formatting

Paginates and formats a script to entertainment-industry standards for film, TV, theater and other media, so layout does not have to be set by hand.

Story planning tools

The Beat Board, Outline Editor and Structure Lines are used to brainstorm and outline a story inside the script file, alone or with writing partners in real time.

Revisions and production reports

Tracked revisions, built-in commenting and automatic version saving support rewrites, and production reports can be run from the script.

Final Draft Cloud

Part of the Suite: an online editor called Final Draft Writer, a Vault for storing and sharing files, ScriptNotes comments and asynchronous collaboration.

Reader Mode

People invited to a script in Final Draft Cloud can view and comment on it free of charge, with no credit card, but cannot edit it.

Writing goals and focus modes

Final Draft 13 includes Writing Goals and Productivity Stats along with Midnight and Typewriter modes.

Slugline

Automatic formatting

Screenplay formatting is worked out from the words as they are typed, so there are no element menus to pick from and no need to press Tab.

Drag-and-drop Outline Navigator

Anything shown in the outline can be dragged into a new order, and the matching parts of the screenplay move with it.

Timeline

Shows the outline elements spaced according to page count, giving an overview of a script's structure and pacing.

Live Compare

Tracks changes by comparing the current screenplay with another document. Asterisks mark modified text and can be clicked to inspect the differences.

Fountain and Final Draft files

Scripts are saved in Fountain, an open plain-text screenplay format. Slugline 2 also opens and exports Final Draft files, including dual dialogue and notes.

Sync between Mac and iOS

Slugline 2 for Mac and Slugline for iPhone and iPad share screenplays through iCloud or Dropbox.

Final Draft

• Final Draft Go$3.99

  per month, or $19.99 per year, in the App Store

  A separate subscription app for writing, editing and reading Final Draft scripts on iPhone and iPad.

• Final Draft Suite$99.99

  per year, or $16.99 per month

  Final Draft 13 for desktop plus Final Draft Cloud, the online workspace with cloud storage, sharing and collaboration.

• Final Draft 13 Educational$129.99

  one-time purchase

  All the features of Final Draft 13 for students and teachers. Verification is required to buy.

• Final Draft 13 Upgrade$129.99

  one-time purchase

  For owners of any previous desktop version, who must give a registered customer number or email.

• Final Draft 13$249.99

  one-time purchase

  The desktop app for Mac and Windows, with activation on two computers. Does not include Final Draft Cloud.

• Volume licensingCustom

  Multi-user licenses for studios, production companies, schools and nonprofits, arranged with the sales team.

Slugline

• Slugline 2 for Mac$0

  Free download from the Mac App Store, with no watermarks or limitations until a screenplay passes page six.

• Slugline for iPhone & iPad$19.99

  one-time purchase on the App Store

  Separate app for iOS and iPadOS that shares files with the Mac version over iCloud or Dropbox and also works on its own.

• Unlimited Writing Upgrade$49.99

  one-time in-app purchase on Mac

  Unlocks screenplays longer than six pages and Final Draft (FDX) export in Slugline 2 for Mac.

Final Draft

• Other savings

  Sale price of $199.99 on Final Draft 13

  The US store listed Final Draft 13 at $199.99 against its regular $249.99 when the page was captured on 2026-09-29.

• Annual discount

  Annual Suite plan costs about half of monthly

  Final Draft Suite is $99.99 a year, against $203.88 for twelve payments on the $16.99 monthly plan.

• Education

  Educational edition for students and teachers

  Final Draft 13 Educational has a regular price of $129.99, against $249.99 for the standard license, and was on sale at $99.99 on 2026-08-30. Verification is required.

• Other savings

  Military and first responder price of $129.99

  Members of the military, veterans and first responders can buy Final Draft 13 for $129.99 instead of the regular $249.99.

• Other savings

  Upgrade pricing for existing owners

  Owners of any earlier desktop version can move to Final Draft 13 for a regular price of $129.99; the upgrade was on sale at $99.99 on 2026-09-22.

Slugline

No public discounts listed.